After April showers fall and the mercury rises, the white sneaker is my go-to shoe in the summer. Not only do they look cool given their light color, they literally keep your feet cool by the light they reflect. And if in canvas, even cooler thanks to the lightweight fabric's porous nature. The English refer to them as trainers, which seems more appropriate since most of them are worn on and off the courts of racquet sports like tennis, squash, and badminton.

Tretorn Nylites (tennis), Jack Purcells (badminton), and Adidas Sambas (soccer) can be fished out of my closet on any given summer day (after some diligent digging, mind you). But it's these Nike Killshots for J.Crew that are my favorites this season. Originally designed some 30 years ago with a low profile stance for playing squash, they boast touches of white suede. If there is a leather that embodies "summer," it's suede—exhibit A: white bucks. Wear them with chinos, canvas jeans, shorts, and even your cotton khaki suit. All four of these white sneakers can be found for less than $75, a price you can take in stride no matter how hot is gets.

Any thoughts on Chensvold (Ivy Style) turning his blog into an ego-fed hate machine?

F.E. Castleberry left a comment on 5/31/2013 at 1:21 PM:

@Old School—Soccer, yes. Badminton, no. Luckily one doesn’t have to necessarily enjoy these particular sports in order to lace these sneakers up.

@Ronnie—Borg probably wore several different brands throughout his career.

old school left a comment on 5/31/2013 at 12:37 PM:

play a lot of badminton do you Fred?

RONNIE left a comment on 5/31/2013 at 8:56 AM:

i thought borg wore diadoras? he even had a signature model.

Alexander left a comment on 5/30/2013 at 9:01 AM:

@Fred Haha - too true! Looks and game…how can I go wrong

F.E. Castleberry left a comment on 5/30/2013 at 8:13 AM:

@Alexander—Nylites are still practical for tennis. If Bjorn Borg (click on the “tennis” link above), one of the best pro players in the world at the time, won in them, you can certainly play in them. I do as well.

Alexander left a comment on 5/29/2013 at 10:52 PM:

Agreed w/ Campbell. Leather shoes are appropriate in many situations, but not all. Tennis, soccer and the beach are very reasonable excuses to give your nine to fivers a break.

On another note, Tretorns are great but are they still practical for tennis? I was thinking of snagging a pair for use on the court but was worried they would do more for my looks than my game.

www.abostonblazer.com

Campbell left a comment on 5/29/2013 at 4:34 PM:

@Jess—A grown man is one who can wear various things and make them look effortless and stylish. If sneakers work for the man, they work. No need to put baby in a corner.

Also, I (a barely adult man) love the living hell out of a fresh pair of white or canvas Vans’ Eras. Same design since the beginning.

F.E. Castleberry left a comment on 5/29/2013 at 9:47 AM:

@Jess—I couldn’t agree more. But when there is a time for sneakers (and summer is definitely that time), you can’t go wrong with one of these four.

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